Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 117167 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 586(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117167 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 586(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
Yichen stepped in front of him and cupped his cheek with his free hand, guiding him close until their lips met in the sweetest kiss. A light brush, a tiny taste, and all the anger was melting like snow in a spring rain.
“Do you know why I fell for you?” Yichen asked, their mouths so close their lips rubbed, allowing Rei to feel his words.
“No.” The single word barely escaped his clogged throat. He was drowning in the special magic Yiyi was weaving.
“Because you talk to the flowers.”
Rei jerked away, his mind a complete blank. He hadn’t been sure what Yichen would say, but that hadn’t crossed his mind. “What? Really?”
“Mn. I love watching you talk to them.” Yichen’s fingers caressed his cheekbone, trailing down along his jaw. His light touch sent goose bumps down his arms, and he wanted him to never stop. “Soft, whispered words of encouragement. A soft touch of your finger on their petals and they’re unfurling, stretching, trying to be everything you say they are. You care about those smaller and weaker than you. It’s why I think you would do a lot of good for your people if you were on the throne.”
The ball of warmth and joy growing in his chest cracked and withered at his last words. He pulled away from Yichen’s touch and slipped his fingers free. Sitting on the Dawn throne meant returning to the fae realm. It meant leaving his Yiyi behind.
“I would never get the chance to help those smaller and weaker creatures,” Rei muttered, his now empty hand balling into a fist. “My entire existence—assuming I survived the upcoming battle to claim the Dawn throne—would be dedicated to staying alive and killing off my parents’ old supporters and anyone else who wanted to steal power from me. If I was lucky, my child would take over protecting the small and weak after I was murdered.”
“That’s never going to happen,” Yichen snarled. He stomped to Rei’s side and gripped his shoulders, forcing Rei to face him. “You’re with me now and forever. Do you understand?”
Rei’s mouth fell open, but he couldn’t make a sound. This vampire was destroying brain cells every time he spoke. Had he been speaking hypothetically when he’d talked about Rei sitting on the Dawn throne? Did he want him to remain in the human realm with the blood-soaked sandstone and Yichen keeping him safe? He wanted to ask, to hear Yichen’s answer and remove all doubt from his brain, but he couldn’t speak.
Since meeting Yichen, all he’d wanted was to stay by this damn vampire’s side for all time. To bask in his wry smiles and wrap up in his warm, sly laughter. But it had only ever been a silly dream. Something so impossible, he’d never dared to whisper it aloud. He’d reconciled himself to being happy with the time they had left.
Yet now, Yichen was dangling his heart’s desire in front of him and he was terrified to reach for it. What if it disappeared the second he tried to wrap his fingers around it? He’d never survive it. His sweet, amazing Yiyi was a dream born from pain and loneliness.
Placing his hand on the back of Rei’s head, Yichen forced him to tip it forward, pressing their foreheads together. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure something out. Maybe we can get a message to Olag. That was the gnome’s name, right? The one we met with before returning to my family.”
“Olag?” His brain was mush, but he forced his few remaining brain cells to work. “Yes, the gnome. He might be able to spread the word.”
“Good.” Yichen brushed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “We’ll figure this out. Remember, you’re not alone anymore. We’re not alone. We have a clan to help us. No, clans. Your father isn’t winning this.”
No, King Ash and Queen Belladonna would not win.
And when this hell was over, he would remain at his Yiyi’s side for the rest of their years. He just needed a cunning plan.
Step one: survive the coming battles.
Chapter 19
Wu Yichen
Yichen stared at the dark-burgundy velvet bag cupped in his hands while willing the anxious butterflies in his stomach to move along. There was no reason to be nervous about this. So what if he’d never given a gift to someone who mattered to him quite like Rei did?
It was just that Rei had been growing more restless and irritable as they waited for Huli to return from trying to track down Trin and Olag. The latter was a message to urge some of the fae to sneak into the fae realm before the coming battle. The other was a simple wish for a peaceful conversation.
Huli had seemed confident that he could locate both people and return safely. They didn’t know how long it would be until he returned. It was the waiting that had them all balanced on the edge of a sword in anticipation of the worst.